Lincoln ‘Hope’ campaign to raise heart failure awareness

There have been a record 374 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, with a further four deaths reported too.

The latest UK coronavirus dashboard figures as of Tuesday evening showed 223 new cases in Lincolnshire, 59 in North Lincolnshire and 92 in North East Lincolnshire.

It means there have been 5,960 cases confirmed in October alone.

NHS figures reported no new COVID-related deaths at hospitals across Greater Lincolnshire.

The government’s coronavirus dashboard, which includes those both in and out of hospitals and those of residents in hospitals outside the county, however reported the deaths of two residents each in Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

Nationally, cases increased by 24,701 to 942,275, while deaths jumped by 310 to 45,675.

A chart showing Lincolnshire’s case numbers up to October 28.

Lincolnshire is currently still on the medium (tier 1) level for the the new three-tier lockdown system of COVID-19 risk, which means it has no extra restrictions on top of the nation-wide ones.

A meeting of county leaders on Wednesday decided to continue with the status quo, but warned they were alert to any changes in numbers.

However, it has now been confirmed that the whole of Nottinghamshire will now go into Tier 3, not the few districts and city region previously announced.

It means Lincolnshire will be surrounded by Tier 3 areas, which will impact on county residents’ lives.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire for Wednesday, October 28

10,552 cases (up 374)

• 6,736 in Lincolnshire (up 223)
• 2,072 in North Lincolnshire (up 59)
• 1,744 in North East Lincolnshire (up 92)

461 deaths (up four)

• 313 from Lincolnshire (up two)
• 95 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
• 47 from North East Lincolnshire (up two)

of which 301 hospital deaths (no change)

• 160 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
• 6 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 134 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

917,575 UK cases, 45,365 deaths

DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.

A former Premier League striker with a controversial past has joined Spalding United in a week that has seen the non-league club sign four other new players and appoint a new management team.

Nile Ranger, whose former clubs include Premier League side Newcastle, joined the Northern Premier League Division One South East club on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old, who also played for Blackpool, Swindon and Southend, joins with a troubled past having been sentenced to 11 weeks in a Young Offenders Institute over a robbery when he was just 15-years-old.

In 2011 he was questioned by Newcastle for posing with a replica gun in a photograph and later that year he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a man in the city centre, leaving the victim unconscious on the street.

In October 2011 he was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Newcastle’s Cathedral Square and in March 2012 he was fined by the FA for making homophobic comments on Twitter.

He was also arrested on suspicion of rape in a Newcastle hotel room in January 2013. He was charged with rape in July 2013 before being cleared of the charge in March 2014.

The long list of incidents also includes being arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to a taxi in Liverpool, which he later pleaded guilty to and was fined £1,000. He claimed that he was angry at being called a rapist by the driver.

Most recently, he was charged in December 2016 with conspiracy to defraud and to commit money laundering. In May 2017 he was sentenced to eight months in prison, but he was released after 10 weeks of his sentence due to “his consistently excellent custodial behaviour”.

Former DR Congo international Gabriel Zakuani was appointed as the new first team manager at Spalding earlier this week, with Neal Spafford taking the role of assistant manager.

On the signing of Ranger, Zakuani said: “I’ve known Nile for many years and we grew up in the same area. He has all the talent in the world and knows he has a point to prove! In the conversations we have had, he wants an opportunity to get himself back on the map.

“I believe he can easily play for any team in League One and most Championship clubs.

“He has promised me he will get his head down and prove to everyone that the penny has dropped. This opportunity will allow people to see he still has the hunger to succeed”

Meanwhile, former Newcastle and Portsmouth striker Lomana Tresor Lua Lua joined the Tulips as an attacking coach,,with Ronayne Marsh-Brown taking the role of first team coach. Shane Spafford remains at the club as physio.

A newly qualified driver accused of causing a triple fatal crash admitted to a jury on Wednesday that she should not have driven with a passenger sitting in the footwell behind the front seat.

Kasey Boulton, giving evidence on the second day of her trial at Lincoln Crown Court, told the jury that the fatal collision occurred as she was driving from her home in the village of Welton towards Lincoln.

The three victims of the fatal crash: Ricky (left) Joby (centre) and Aiden (right).

Her Vauxhall Astra was designed to hold four passengers but she had five inside, with Ricky Sharp sitting in the footwell behind the front passenger seat.

Boulton said: “Obviously it was wrong. I shouldn’t do it. I didn’t think about the consequences. I was conscious that he was there and he shouldn’t be.

“I didn’t say to him to get out. I wish I had. I don’t know why I didn’t.

“At the time I didn’t think Ricky was in danger.”

She told the jury that she was confident she was driving at about 50mph out of the village of Welton towards the A15 when the collision occurred.

“I was familiar with the road. I’d driven on it before. It was one of only two roads out of the village.”

She told the jury she has no memory of driving along a straight stretch of road immediately before her car lost control and hit a tree.

“I don’t remember the impact or anything else before the accident.

“I can’t remember the car going off centre but I had a feeling of not travelling straight.”

She was asked by her barrister Michael Cranmer-Brown “Did you think at the time that your driving had caused the collision?” She replied “No”.

Boulton, who only passed her driving test a few weeks before the collision, added: “I consider myself to be a safe driver. Overall I felt confident to drive but I wasn’t experienced.”

Boulton, 19, is alleged to have hit a tree after losing control of her car as she drove along Heath Lane in Welton, near Lincoln.

The jury has heard that three passengers Ricky Sharp,17, Aiden Sawyer, 17, and Joby John Scrimshaw, 14, were killed in the collision which involved no other vehicle.

Miss Boulton and her two other passengers were also seriously injured.

The prosecution allege Boulton’s car was only designed to hold four passengers but at the time of crash had five with Ricky Sharp sitting in the footwell behind the front passenger.

Ian Way, prosecuting, told a jury that the overloading of the car caused the vehicle to be unbalanced which contributed to Boulton losing control.

Boulton, 19, of Heath Close, Welton, denies three charges of causing death by dangerous driving as a result of the incident on March 25, 2019.

The trial continues.

Students and staff at the University of Lincoln have been advised to toggle off the contact tracing feature of the NHS Test and Trace app, specifically when on campus.

The University of Lincoln said on Tuesday, October 27 that 176 students and staff have tested positive for coronavirus, although this is less than 1% of its population.

This includes students living in a flat together, who used quirky post-it note signs in their windows to let people know they are self-isolating.

Lincoln is currently in the government’s (medium) tier 1 and the University of Lincoln is operating its own test and trace system in liaison with Lincolnshire Public Health to supplement the national NHS system.

The university sent an email to students about its Test and Trace service on Wednesday morning. It said staff and students are encouraged to download the NHS Test and Trace app, but are advised to “toggle off the contact tracing function when on campus”,

It said this is because they will be notified of any exposure through the university process and it can “notify our community more quickly and accurately”.

A University of Lincoln spokesperson said: “Our test and trace system was developed with Public Health Lincolnshire and it enables us to be much more responsive and accurate in identifying ‘close contacts’ through timetables and venue check-ins.”

Third year geography student Alex vented his anger to The Lincolnite about the recent email, saying: “It has made me feel quite angry, and makes me feel like they don’t quite understand the whole severity of the situation with coronavirus.

“I was asked on Monday to self-isolate through the app, and if I had turned the app off, then I could potentially be spreading coronavirus right now. I was in shock and disbelief when reading the email.”

Alex also claims that it is unclear on how to report a COVID case/infection through the university system, with “little guidance” provided on issues including around the “movement of deadlines” and “missing face-to-face lectures and seminars”.

The university has already published a detailed overview of the Test and Trace processes here, which students can log in to.

Within the FAQs it states to inform the personal tutor and school office (for students) or line manager (for staff) if they or anyone in their household develops coronavirus systems.

There is also a form to fill in to notify the University Test and Trace team.

Each academic college also has its own point of contact. They will contact any student that has been in a teaching bubble or other situation and come into close contact with someone showing symptoms or who has received a positive test result.

Those affected will receive a text message and email with details of what they are required to do, alongside links to support and other information.

Practical and emotional support for students who have to self-isolate is available here, including the delivery of a free care pack with food supplies.